BDAZ

Welcome. Can't ask for a better climate for leather working! Really interesting items on your web site. I guess you are in NE Tucson, I'm in NW. Cya! Bob

Invest in a 2 Ton arbor press. Heavy but it has a lot of working room and easy to eyeball type face stamps. Buy two sets of each so if you have double letters you can keep them aligned. Cya! Bob

You could let it settle and filter it again, then add more vinegar and steel wool.. I usually have 5 or 6 bottles perking and each is a different color, from black to tea like. Cya! Bob

I have not had to do this pattern but when I have a complex stitch pattern I lay it out on Photoshop using 1-2 pixels for line width. I reverse the image if I am going for the grain side or keep it as is for the flesh side. If the design is symetrical, like this it doesn't matter.Then I simply print out the pattern with a laser printer. I align the pattern, toner side down and hold it in place with masking tape. I then use a dauber and wet the back of the paper with acetone then applying pressure with a bone creaser and carefully remove the paper and you will have a perfect pattern on the leather. Then I will use a groover over the lines if they are on the grain side and I'm ready to stitch. Cya! Bob

I decant oil into a smaller bottler and keep a Tandy wool dauber in the bottle which I reuse until it becomes too discolored. I only oil after tooling and wet forming and the item is completely dry, assisted by the Arizona sun. My workshop is cooled to 85F and the oil penetrates well at that temperature. In the sun, a black item can reach 140F and the oil is distributed quickly. I re-oil once more before waxing and shipping. I don't oil between production stages to save time. Cya! Bob

Any issues with cooling the barrel during rabid fire?? Beautiful work! Maybe a colonial - revolutionary war theme would help with the blue states. Cya! Bob

I am attending a 3 day agility trial and most of the dogs have their cages shrouded to minimize visual stimulation. The Thundercap sounds like a great idea!. And Wiggy, you know not of what you speak. Cya! Bob

I use a blend of soy wax and beeswax. Soy wax is available at a number of different meting points, lower than either bees wax or paraffin. I can't go too low because my products can get quite warm drying in the sun (145F) here in Arizona so I use a blend and works well. You can add neatsfoot or olive oil to the wax as well. Cya! Bob

I lived in Berkshire for a few years and had heard it pronounced Shrow. I also lived in Berkshire County in Massachusetts and we pronounce it Berk and Bark. Two nations divided by a common language! Cheers! Bob

I used to live in Shrewsbury in the US, near Boston andpronounced Shruusberry, not Shrowsburry FYI.. Bob

Something like this out of leather? Cya! Bob

Available at Home Depot for < $5 and works great with oil dyes. Cya! Bob

I recently returned a side to Tandy that had a fuzzy pattern on the flesh side..totally unusable! I will generally give the flesh side a light sanding on the belt sander then spray 50% oil dye and spray wax to give a finished appearance for black or brown items. Cya! Bob

The 1/32nd cork from Hobby Lobby was the PERFECT solution! $6 took care of all my straight edges, from 1' to 6' including a few extra thin home made ones. Cya! Bob

I would be afraid that the coarser anti slip materials would mar the leather. Thanks Bob

My other company exports 5-6 shipments a month from Europe. We have a speial deal on fees but if UPS screws up they can bill as much as $150 on a $200 duty free item. Cya! Bob

I graduated to a 2 ton and have never touched my 1 ton.since. With the 2 ton I can use all my hole and belt end punches with no modifications. The one ton is not powerful enough to handle larger custom stamps. In addition, the larger work area makes it easy to visually align stamps on belts and straps. I also use it for snaps and rivets. IMHO, don't wast money on the 1 ton. Cya! Bob

Find out what local shoe repair guys use for gluing soles onto shoes and get some. Cya! Bob

You didn't understand. You still will need a broker and file customs forms regardless of the duty. Find out what those charges are. You WILL pay fees to the customs and fees to the broker but no duty. Cya! Bob

I assume you have never been involved with imports because you will need a licensed customs broker to tell the Customs people that there is 0 duty and to file all the paperwork. Check with the sea freight company and ask them what fees would be involved in clearing the item. You may be surprised! Cya! Bob

http://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb3200.html If the 3200 will do the job, (up to 1/2 inch of leather) the the cost is $1595 out of the box and ready to sew. Besides shipping there will be all kinds of add on fees for customs clearance, port fees, etc. You could be looking at a few hundred dollars additional. Assuming you already have a customs broker.. You would be NUTs to buy this machine from China..IMHO when you could buy a similar warranted, well supported machine for possibly less than the direct import. Cya! Bob

However, had the owner's name been Mary Absolut, the vodka folks would have to suck wind..Even in Washington. Cya! Bob

The only issue is that what looks great in Photoshop may not be legible in leather. I would suggest 2 stamps, one with the information that is on the back somewhere or at the least visible part, and the logo can be prominent and essentially part of the design. I don't have a logo for my company or I would have gone that route BUT I have had stamps made of the logos of some of my customers. That logo is displayed prominently while my makers mark is at the back and not immediately visible, Cya! Bob

The waxes are blended to change the melting point. Bees Wax melts around 115F and Paraffin is higher. Soy wax goes from 115 to 135F depending on which blend of soy wax. When I put my items in the sun to dry, they get too hot for bees wax so the Paraffin and/or soy wax raises the melting point. Cya! Bob

This is used for making string for traditional bows often using natural fibers. This is the stuff I use: